Aljazeera
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has come under fire for nominating a new spokesman who has in the past derided the country’s much-admired president, made snarky remarks about US leaders and voiced support for Jewish hardliners.
The nomination of Ran Baratz, founding editor of a conservative news site, sparked an uproar in Israel on Thursday.
Baratz recently said on his Facebook page that US President Barack Obama’s response to Netanyahu’s speech to Congress this year was an example of “modern anti-Semitism in liberal Western states.”
Netanyahu’s speech marked a low point in relations between the two leaders. Obama skipped the speech, which sought to persuade US lawmakers to vote against a deal on Iran’s nuclear programme.
Netanyahu said he had been unaware of the comments.
Baratz, 42, has also taken jabs at US Secretary of State John Kerry, saying he should seek out a job as a stand-up comedian, insinuating his speeches are laughable.
In a 2004 column, Baratz, who lives in a West Bank settlement, voiced support for Jewish hardliners pushing for a greater Jewish presence at a Jerusalem holy site.